Religion In Gaming

This is something I've been thinking about for some time. Did anyone ever notice the presence of religion in videogames? While alot of the time they are fictional, they are still strongly influenced by mainstream religions, and some examples make use of christian imagery (for example, Tales of Symphonia, on the Journey of the Chosen, she will eventually be sacraficed to the Goddess Martel; Sacrafice of god's son, ring any bells?). You even find churches to Martel in the cities you visit.

One of our most beloved games of all-time, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time also has a very strong religious theme to it too: The land was created by three goddesses who descended from the heavens, cultivated the land, created all living things and gave it laws and beliefs.

What are your thoughts on this? Do you like the idea of religion in games or do you think its unnessacerry?

PSH! You wanna talk about religion? This is something i noticed myself in Halo.
First off, Halo, like an angel?
Convenant, which is a religion term for like someone meant to do something (they unleashed the flood)
Flood, meant to wipe out everything, just like the flood in Noah's Arc which was meant to restart the world and rid it of evil.

religion isnt neccesary, and it is okay if used in the right sense in the game.... i've found in a couple of games it's actully added to the depth, but i didnt really see it as religion so much as faction?

I don't think they have religious themes, so much as you associate religions too them. Anything supernatural will have ties with the religious. It's personal choice and belief that decides whether or not you want to make the connection.

I've noticed RPGs tend to have a lot of religious themes in them, and about half the time the religion is "evil" or it's been "corrupted" (e.g. Tales of Symphonia, Final Fantasy X, some cults in The Elder Scrolls games)- could this be video game developers' commentary on the nature of organised religion?